Jeddah, August 24 (QNA) - A Senior Officials' Preparatory Meeting for the 21st Extraordinary Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was held Sunday at the headquarters of the OIC's General Secretariat in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to consider the continued Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.

The meeting was opened by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkiye Dr. Nuh Yilmaz. In his address, he emphasized that this extraordinary meeting would address the unprecedented humanitarian tragedy, the continuation of state terrorism and settler violence in the West Bank, and the deteriorating situation in Jerusalem.

He indicated that Israel is reinventing genocide in the 21st century and that the horrific images of innocent civilians, children, and infants dying from bullets or starvation in Gaza are shocking the entire world. He stressed that the way forward must include an immediate and lasting ceasefire, the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid through the United Nations and reliable local and international non-governmental organizations, the expansion of the coalition in support of Palestine to implement the two-state solution, and coordinated measures to impose more sanctions on Israel.

For his part, Secretary-General of the OIC Hissen Brahim Taha indicated that this meeting is being held following the announcement by Israel, the occupying force, of its intention to impose total military control over the Gaza Strip, as well as the provocative statements of the Prime Minister of the Israeli occupation regarding what he calls the "Greater Israel" vision, which constitute an extension of the rhetoric and policies of incitement, extremism and aggression, a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of states, international law and the UN Charter, and a sabotage of efforts aimed at achieving a just and comprehensive peace in the region, based on the two-state solution.

He stressed that Israel's continued crimes and massacres against the Palestinian people required more effective and influential action on the international stage to end this brutal Israeli aggression.

The preparatory meeting of senior officials is examining the draft resolution on the continued Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, with a view to submitting it to the extraordinary meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers to be held on Monday for adoption. (QNA)